Hero of Time
by BABZILLA
Summary: This is a quest a young man must conquer in order to save the land of his people. Through life and death, pain and happiness, love and deception, there is hope left in this evil world. This is a story based off of Ocarina of Time, and is almost a complete make up of the actual game plot. Character names may be changed and many of the dialogue is changed as well.


_Link, it's time to go now. Come along, it's a bright new day. Let's not miss it because of your stubbornness. _I looked up at the ceiling, another shit day, another day where I am looked at differently, another day where I have to pretend to be some sort of little child when I know I have greater importance. Navi flew overhead, leaving tiny trails of faerie powder floating around the air. I rubbed my eyes and ruffled my dirty blonde hair. I mean dirty as in flakes of dirt, not the color.

"Alright, back off Navi, I'll get up." Navi darted across my line of vision towards my window. I rolled out of my bed. With a quick thunk I was up and roaming my tree house. This was my sanctuary, the only thing I knew. I had no recollection of my parents, I don't even think I have any. All I know is that my voice was cracking and none of the other boys in my village were having this problem. These woods, these people were all I knew. The faerie children who had years of wisdom that reflected in their eyes, but never aged were the only ones I knew of. We aren't allowed outside of Kokiri Forest. We have the Lost Woods which aren't typically safe, and we have the companionship of each other, but that's it. I wanted more out of life, but it seemed impossible for a kid like myself. I'm 13 years old, just a boy. There was no adventure for me.

_Link, seriously, Mido is going to be so upset if you don't get out here now._ I rolled my eyes and pulled on my boots. I tugged at my green tunic and looked outside the window. It was windy, chilly, and looked like it might rain. The faint faerie music waivered in the air, the flutes, harp noises, and banjo notes jingled about every time a faerie flew by. I could see a familiar glow of green outside, it was Saria's faerie. Only the children could hear the voices of the faeries, no one else could hear it besides the great tree. The faeries were his children which he assigns to each Kakariko child.

"Heya Link, you awake?" I leaned outside my door, holding onto the railing. Saria was one of the only reasons to get out of my house in the morning. I knew Mido would just taunt me all day, but Saria was sweet, kind, and treated me fairly. "It's really cool you finally got a faerie Link! It's so cool that the Great Deku Tree decided that you were officially one of us!" Saria's emerald hair shined with the small amount of filtered sunlight, her eyes were a deep forest green, and her skin glowed with a fresh snow color.

"Yeah, I didn't realize how annoying they are in the mornings though." I smiled and rubbed my neck. "So, what do I owe the honor of your lovely presence today Saria?" I asked sliding down my ladder to the base of my tree.

"Well, I thought we could go off on a walk in the Lost Woods later. Plus, I hear that the Great Deku Tree wanted to see you. Aren't you excited?! It's a great honor to see him." I shrugged and kicked a clump of mud.

"I guess so, I'm just so tired of all these strange mysteries here. I mean, I don't exactly belong. I don't hold the wisdom that you do." I looked up at the sky which was clouding over thick now and beginning to drizzle.

"Well, the Great Deku Tree thinks otherwise. Has Mido been messing with you again?" She put her small fists on her hips and tapped her foot.

"Like usual, but he has it coming to him. I guess maybe I should go see the Great Deku Tree first before our walk. Meet me at our normal spot?" She smiled and nodded. Her little faerie shimmered and darted around excitedly. I looked up at Navi's blue hue darting around excitedly as well. I wondered if the faeries talked to one another a lot.

"Just remember, you need a weapon to protect yourself. Look for a shield too, I think the little shop in the village just got some in stock." Saria waved as she walked away, "See you in a bit!" I waved back although she couldn't see me and shrugged. Guess it was time to find some rupees and a weapon. I heard of a sword hidden away in a tiny cavernous area somewhere in the village. I knew of a small crawl space with a large boobie trap that gets set off every time anyone enters the cavern. It doesn't kill you, but it's a giant boulder that can possibly crush you if you aren't careful. I guess it couldn't be too hard, maybe for that dimwitted Mido, but I'm smart, in shape, I could do it. I sighed and stretched. Navi fluttered around my head impatiently.

"You know what Navi if you were just a little more patient you would be a lot more pleasurable to be around." She scoffed and darted into my hat. I took it off and looked at her.

_Oh, don't worry about me Link, just go on being defiant. The greatest honor you have ever received is just something dumb right? Well, excuse me for being excited about this. It is, after all, part of your life._ I rolled my eyes and put my hat back on.

Walking into the village is a nice little walk through a small valley. The birds were chirping excitedly, a few rabbits went by making me remember I hadn't eaten all day, and I could hear the faint calls of a wolf. It was a bit early for a wolf to be hunting with its pack, but today was an irregular day anyway. I guess nature was off as well. When I got into the village, it was bustling as usual. The girls of the village were scattered, giggling as I walked by. The boys were working on their chores handed down by Mido, the oldest of the villagers, but man was he an ass. I wish Saria were the lead villager here, Mido was so cruel and just someone you wanted to punch in the throat repeatedly. I almost had when he knocked me over after I accidentally broke a vase in his house.

"Heya Link!" I looked up at the small village shop, a girl named Maddie was sitting on the small canopy above the door.

"Heya Maddie, how are you?" Navi was hovering above her head, gleaming bright green next to another faerie fluttering around Maddie. I figured it was a communication thing between faeries and us Kokari.

"I'm grand, thanks for asking! You going to the shop today? They just got a new shield in! It's super neat! I bet you could use it going to see the Great Deku Tree today!" She said excitedly. I smiled and nodded. She was cute, with dark blue eyes, reddish hair, and pale skin. It seemed that all the children here had pale skin. It was fitting for a lot of the girls, but some of the guys, not so much.

"Yeah, I guess I ought to talk to the head shop keeper. I need one." She giggled and swung her legs back and forth.

"Well, maybe he can find you something to do to buy it, I know you need about fifty rupees." I choked down a laugh.

"Are you serious? That is ridiculous, where am I going to come up with fifty rupees?" She shrugged and folded her arms to her chest.

"I donno, but you're gonna need it. He isn't gonna discount it for you. I'll see you later Link." I waved at her and shrugged. It couldn't hurt to see if he could discount it. Tidus seemed like a reasonable kid.

"HAH! You have got to be kidding me. Sell you this shield half off? Please Link, I spent too much money getting it in the first place, and you are probably the only kid good enough to put it to good use. Go get some more money, I'm sure there are things to do. Try the leaping stones near the pond, if you hop on all of them precisely you are supposed to be rewarded." I sighed. It was worth a shot asking at least. I had walked into the shop, purely confident that I would get that deku shield way cheaper than fifty rupees. Man, was I sorely mistaken.

"Fine, I'll be back in a little bit. I'll get the rest of the money to you…" I scowled and snatched my money pouch back from the counter. Tidus was a short kid, or maybe I was just too tall, but he could barely see over the counter. It was kind of amusing how small he looked back there, even if he was older and wiser than myself, he only looked about ten.

I pushed through the blanketed opening of the tree shop and looked towards the hopping stones. I had to get through a few more giggles and stares from some of the girls and a couple of scowls from the guys. I really didn't fit in here at all. I kept my head low and walked over the stones. I knew I could do this jumping thing, I was really good at all physical activities. I only even knew how to fight because Mido was such a jerk and his cronies were too. It was too difficult to keep out of a fight. I practiced fighting every day, I ran, jumped, punched, flipped, and I even mastered the back flip while guarding myself in the process. It just came naturally to me, and I guess that's why the guys in the village didn't like me. The girls thought I was strong and handsome, but I'm sure that just added to the resentment.

I made sure to look around first, just to make sure no one was scrutinizing me from a distance. If I messed up, I'd look like a fool. Navi fluttered overhead, unnaturally at ease. I guess she was happy I was trying to get the shield so I could see the Great Deku Tree and not naturally fight someone. I wiggled my fingers and toes, honing in on my physical senses. I kept thinking to myself that I could do this, it's not hard to leap like a frog. I've done it a hundred times. Plus, I get a reward at the end of this trial.

I took a deep breath and started hopping. I'm sure I looked like a moron, but by the end of the stones I collected five rupees. I smiled and stuffed the money into my pouch and headed up to the training center where one of the fighters of the village was punching at the air. Erik was a friend of mine, well, sort of. He never gave me attitude. He was always nice and never talked back to me. He wasn't a friend of Mido's so he never acted like a suck up. He was just a decent person. His messy blonde hair was in his eyes covering the light blue tones that matched the normally sunny skies. Girls crooned over him when he wasn't looking, not that it mattered much to the Kokiri. They never seemed to fall in love really, there was no point. They never grew up.

"Good morning Link. Training again as usual?" Erik asked.

"Well, not exactly. I need to get to the sacred sword. I know the entrance is ahead, but I need to get it to see the Great Deku. He summoned me today." I scratched nervously on my arm. Erik raised an eyebrow and stepped aside revealing a small crawl space.

"Well, someone with the skills needs to try to retrieve it. I don't feel like getting crushed, then again, I have seen the Great Deku already but I'm Kokiri so I don't need weapons to visit him. We are invisible to the darker creatures in the valley." I sighed and moved towards to crawl space. Everyone knew I wasn't really a Kokiri, that the Great Deku raised me here for protection. I just don't know from what.

"Well, I guess I can try." I got on my hands and knees and pushed myself through the small opening on the side of the large mountainous rock wall. When I finally reached the end of the space I could feel the ground move and a huge boulder the size of a small house rolled by. It was too far away to hurt me, but it was going in a circular pattern. I figured since it was following a pathway, I could follow it since it wasn't moving very fast. I just needed to make sure there wasn't a second one.

After chasing the boulder for a few minutes I came across a small opening containing a small chest. I ran over to it and opened it. It almost fell apart as I found the small Kokiri Sword embedded in the velvet. This thing was so old I thought it would crumble in my fist, but the moment I clasped my hand around it I felt a small amount of intense power surge up my arm. I could feel the power of the magic inside of this weapon. It was magnificent. I had never been so familiar with anything in my whole life until this very moment. I let out a small battle cry as I slashed the sword around, breaking the chest into small pieces and beheading a few weeds which revealed more money. I smiled collecting my due and ran back out into the pathway following the giant boulder. This trap was way too easy, but it was still well played. Enchantments were always all around the Kokiri. It was something that became very apparent to me, especially with all the faeries around. I'm sure many of them had something to do with this.

When I came back out of the crawl space Erik was waiting for me. His arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. I stood up hastily, sword sheathed in my belt, and dusted myself off. He looked stunned.

"Was it hard to get the sword from the sacred meadow?" He asked leaning towards me to get a good look at the weapon.

"No, it was quite simple really." I smiled until I felt a faint rumbling. I turned towards the crawl space and realized it had closed itself.

"Well, that's all yours now." Erik said and leaped back onto a small rock.

"I guess so. I'll give it back to the Great Deku when I see him." I said meekly and walked away. Erik could be really intimidating at times, and I never knew if he liked me or not. It always made me wonder if anyone really did besides Saria.

After throwing a few rocks, hacking at some weeds, and raiding the vintage vases in some of my friend's houses I was able to scrounge up enough money to finally buy the damned shield I needed to get into the valley. Tidus smiled and took all my money greedily and slid the shield across the counter at me.

"Good luck Link." He called after me as I left. I could feel the eyes of mostly all the Kokiri burning into the back of my skull as I approached the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's valley. Mido was standing there, patrolling like an idiot. He had this way about him that irritated me to no end.

"Oh, and I suppose you are on your way to see the God of the Land are you? You must be completely daft Link. You aren't a real Kokiri, and because of that you can't see him without… without…" He stared at my hilt, the sword seemed to radiate power, and he looked at the shield on my back. He fixed his eyes on my face, his mouth twitched, and he submitted to me. "I don't understand how you became the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku… It's not like you are more special than we are…" He hung his head and moved aside. I could hear him mumble something as I walked by, but with a stern glance he shut up right quick. I didn't feel like dealing with anymore of his hot air.

As I reached the meadow between the village and the Great Deku Tree, I came across my first monster. It looked like a plant, a bug eating plant but way larger. It rose a few feet taller than myself and chomped at me like it intended to use me for supper. I guess it was in the end as it whipped towards me. I flipped around it and rolled onto my knee, I sprung up and slashed my sword. It was injured but not dead. I went at it again, this time severing its head from its stem. It withered back to the ground and left me a deku seed in its place. These seeds were great for diversions and bright lights to ward off creatures that enjoyed dark places.

After defeating a few more of these monsters and retrieving a few sticks and more deku seeds, I finally found my way to Great Deku Tree. I had heard so many things about his magnificence, and they were all true. He rose hundreds of feet in the air, his branches climbing to the heavens, and his features were old and gray. I knew he was sick from the Kokiri talking about how things have been changing around the forest lately, but he didn't just look sick. He looked as though he was dying.

_Link… It's been so long… since I've seen your face my child… I have missed you so… Navi, you have done well to bring him here… Thank you…_

_ Yes Great Deku Tree, it was my honor._

Navi flew to the tree and hovered around him. There were so many small faeries, I thought I would have lost her in the crowd, but it was evident she was the only one with a blue hue. Perhaps I was blessed with a special faerie, a really obnoxious special faerie.

_Link, I know you have questions that need to be answered, and I shall tell you everything I know before you begin your destiny._ I nodded and sat down on the soft grass at the Deku Tree's root. _I brought you here as a baby, I made sure that you were kept a secret from the other Kokiri until you were old enough for them to take care of you. These are the Lost Children of Hyrule, ones whose parents had given them away to me. Ones that were abandoned and lost. They will never age, they can never leave the forest, but they are allowed to live peacefully here under my branches and protection. Link, you are going to age, you are going to leave… You were never abandoned. Instead, you were destined to come here to us, to train, learn, and understand. You have a huge journey ahead of you my young hero. _

_ Long ago, there was a terrible evil that was brought to our world, an evil that was shut out during a great war. All of us guardians from all over the land had fought against such terrible dealings. It was true, we almost failed, but we were given the power of our ancestors; the goddesses. Din, Farore, and Nayru all combined their powers to create the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of all the living creatures of our world. They left a piece of themselves here, on our earth, for the return of evil if there ever was one. Except, this power is only obtained by three people. The power that we have heard of, I had never seen until I laid my eyes upon you Link. The evil has returned to our lands Link, it's brewing and stewing. The time span of which it will take full effect is uncertain. Your parents knew what you were when you were born. You were marked with a special sign that will take you where you need to go. You are the destined hero of time, and your parents gave their lives protecting you so you could be what you were made to be._

_ I know that you have heard I am dying. The power within me is withering away with the winds. I have fought the darkness that is flooding me, but you are here now to help destroy what evil was left. It's time for your destiny to begin Link. It's time for you to become the hero we all need._

_ Destroying what evil lies inside of my roots and my trunk, what poisons the lovely earth… and soul of my being will most likely kill me as well Link. I have to have you do this for me. I have spent my life protecting my children from harm's way, but now it's too late. I am too weak, and the poison of this evil is getting stronger. My Kokiri are no longer safe. Please, help them and me Link…_

By the end of his words, his trunk opened up into a huge deep and dark doorway. I sucked in my breath and stood up. This was it, this is where it is supposed to begin. There was a reason for my difference here, a reason that I was brought here, and finally an answer.

_I have given Navi the advantage of knowing all my plans and thoughts to help guide you on your journey. Listen to her, she is very smart and wise. I created her specifically for you Link. For what it is worth hero… we thank… you…._ I looked at his wise face, the face of a dying deity. It was so rare for something so powerful to die, but if evil was residing in its place, I needed to destroy it.


End file.
